


When Canvas Comes to Life

by fangirlsupreme



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Artist Merlin, Co-Written, Cuddling, First Time, Frottage, M/M, Modeling, Orgasms, Painting, Sleepovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-13
Updated: 2016-09-13
Packaged: 2018-08-14 19:45:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8026603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirlsupreme/pseuds/fangirlsupreme
Summary: Merlin somehow ends up being invited to Morgana Pendragon's sleepover of all places because the girls want him to do their nails. While waiting until he's needed, Merlin makes use to the house's art studio, which is where Arthur finds him.





	When Canvas Comes to Life

**Author's Note:**

> This was an omegle collaboration that was done who knows how many years ago. Gave it a quick onceover before deciding to toss it on here.

Merlin had always been what other people considered to be different. He had one friend, Will, and he was completely fine with it, not wanting for more. He wore glasses, he was pretty much invisible in school, always in the art room at lunch times and nobody really knew that much about him. He didn't see what was so different about him but other people liked to pick on him for it, because people were always bullied for not being like the majority. The most recent incident was just piling onto the reasons why people thought that he was weird and now there were a few other names being piled into the mix. It had started when he had been drawing on his nails in the middle of class, bored out of his mind with the lesson, and Gwen had noticed. Gwen was pretty much the nicest person in the entire school so she complimented him on it and said that he was really talented, then asked if he could do her nails with actually nail varnish. Of course, he said yes because it was just another art medium to him and then suddenly all the girls were asking for the same thing. He didn't mind but then the football team who were a bunch of hyper-masculine boys started to pick on him for it, calling him all sorts of names and calling him gay, though that one was true. They meant it as an insult though. He didn't care that much actually and carried on with what he was doing, and soon he was invited to Morgana Pendragon's sleepover to do their nails for them. He had declined at first because he didn't have much of an interest but she then told him about the artist's studio that was in the Pendragon household and he was sold. On the day of the sleepover, Morgana told him that he wouldn't be needed for a few hours so he made his way into the studio and started painting. He was so engrossed in it that he didn't notice somebody behind him until they cleared their throat and he span around to see Arthur Pendragon standing there.

"So you're the reason everyone was screaming earlier," Arthur said after clearing his throat, looking the boy up and down. He'd definitely seen him about school and he was sure that they shared some classes. He was almost positive that the boy's name was Merlin. There was nothing overly loud or obnoxious about the way he acted or spoke. His hair seemed rather wild, but his face was actually extremely attractive. He had sharp cheekbones and piercing eyes, even behind the glasses. "When Morgana told my father that she invited a boy to her sleepover, he'd almost popped a blood vessel," Arthur explained when Merlin just sort of looked at him, "They'd screamed about it for almost half an hour before reaching a consensus. My father agreed that you could leave before everyone went to sleep, or that you could sleep in my room." He didn't come into the studio much. It had been where his mother spent a lot of time. Arthur never met his mother, since she'd died after giving birth to him, but he liked to imagine her in here sometimes. The way the light must've come in through the wide windows, maybe the sound of her humming as she worked. Arthur wandered over to where Merlin was seated in front of an easel, leaning over and peering over the other boy's shoulder, not really minding their proximity. "So what're you painting?" he asked.

"I wasn't really invited to the sleepover. Well, I was but I declined that and Morgana said that I could use the studio when I wasn't doing their nails." Merlin shook his head. "I couldn't exactly decline that offer because I don't really have the resources for a canvas painting in my house." He said, shrugging his shoulders a little. He adjusted his glasses and bit his lip softly as he looked over at Arthur. When Arthur came to stand extremely close to him, he couldn't stop a small blush from coming over his cheeks. He hadn't ever really been this close to somebody that he was attracted to... not that he was attracted to Arthur, except, well. He totally was attracted to Arthur. He couldn't help it. Arthur was the most beautiful boy that he had ever seen and he couldn't help but be attracted to him. He took a few moments to compose himself before he answered Arthur at all. "It's... uh, it's a self portrait." He answered, a blush coming over his cheeks again.

"Oh yeah?" Arthur said, raising his eyebrows a bit. There wasn't much on the canvas yet, so he couldn't say what style of painting that Merlin was going for, but the way that he spread the paint was nice and even. "Do you draw people a lot, or just yourself?" he asked, standing up straight again and tilting his head to the side a bit to look at the painting again, "Have you ever drawn from models? I've been thinking about modeling at the community college for some extra pocket money. My father stopped paying for the gas in the cars, so I have to fill it up myself when I borrow them, which is fair. I just don't know if I'd be any good at it. Modeling, I mean. Or posing, or whatever it is I would have to do." It seemed like the simplest job he could get. He knew that the art classes at the college used nude models. It was a little weird, yeah, but Arthur knew he was fit, and it wasn't like he was posing for pictures for a porn site.

"I've never drawn from models." Merlin admitted, shaking his head. "I've done some portraits of my friend and my mother but other than that, I've never really drawn anybody else." He bit his lip softly and glanced up at Arthur over his shoulder. He had exactly the face that Merlin would like to paint and Merlin couldn't stop the image of Arthur modeling for him. The image of Arthur modeling for him naked was even more prevalent and he wished that it would go away when Arthur was leaning over his shoulder like this but it wouldn't. There was another blush on his cheeks now that definitely wasn't going to go away and the fact that Arthur was so close to him was not helping in the slightest. "You'd be good at it, I'm certain." He said, before realising that had come out in exactly the way that he didn't want it to come out. He couldn't stop it now though, it was out in the open.

"Yeah?" Arthur chuckled, "Think I'm a natural?" He hadn't missed the way that Merlin was blushing, and it was actually adorable. His skin look pink and as though it would be warm to the touch. Arthur managed to refrain from touching Merlin's cheek. "Well, it sounds like we have a win-win situation on our hands," he said, walking around so that he was standing in front of the easel that Merlin was working on. He glanced around for a moment and pulled of a plush chair from the side of the room to the center where he was standing. "Why don't you draw me?" Arthur suggested, "You're an artist. You can get some practice drawing someone you've never drawn before, and I can see if I can actually manage to stay still for the amount of time that it takes to make something. What do you say?" Arthur reached back and pulled his shirt over his head, hooking his thumbs in the waistband of his jeans as he waited for Merlin's answer. Was it necessary that he be in his underwear? No, but Arthur should get used to being naked in front of strangers. Or almost naked. Arthur didn't want Merlin to slap him with sexual harassment charges.

Merlin's mouth fell open a little as Arthur pulled the shirt over his head and Merlin got a good look at his chest. It was a good sight and his mouth was watering with how much he wanted Arthur. He eventually managed to nod his head when Arthur's thumbs hooked into his waistband mostly because he desperately wanted to see more of the skin that was available. He grabbed another one of the canvases that were around the room that would be better suited to painting Arthur and he set that up on the easel instead of the one he had already started. He could finish that one another time, after all. Painting Arthur was a much more appealing though to him right now than anything else and he just wanted to be able to do it as soon as possible. "Alright, it would... it would be more experience for me." He said, as though that was the sole reason for it.

"Great," Arthur said with a wide smile. He pulled his jeans down, leaving him with just his boxer briefs, but he wasn't overly self-conscious. Loads of boys saw him like this when he had to change for gym class. It was the same sort of thing, but Merlin was going to be drawing him and staring at him continuously. But it wasn't like a sexual thing. It was an art thing. Mostly. Arthur knew for sure that modeling at the college would be weirder because there would be at least ten people staring at him, but they would only see him as an object to be sketched, not as a person, so it was still mostly okay. "I'm not really sure how you want me to pose," Arthur said, looking at the chair and then looking at Merlin again, "If you want to position me a certain way, that's fine. I'm pretty sure that's what they're going to do at the college if I get a job there."

"You can pose however feels comfortable to you." Merlin said because he knew that if he had the chance to get his hands on Arthur's body then he wouldn't ever want to take them off and he really did want the experience of managing to paint Arthur, to paint someone other than Will and his mother. He curled his hand tightly around the paintbrush to calm himself down and stop him from jumping at Arthur. Merlin had never seen a boy other than Will undressed like that. He changed in the cubicles for gym class, even though he was teased for it, and so unless it was when Will was sleeping over, Merlin hadn't seen another boy undressed before. It was the closest he had gotten and he wanted it to last. "In a way that you could stay for a few hours." He said with a small, apologetic smile.

Arthur nodded, looking at the chair and trying to decide what would be the most comfortable. It took about five minutes of wiggling around and shifting from side to side until he felt like he could stay the way he was for a while. He ended up sort of lazily splayed across the chair, one leg over the arm of the chair and one dangling towards the floor. His back rested against the other arm, but he still was positioned so that he could lean his head against the back of the chair. One arm was up, resting behind his head, and the other laid still at his side. "Okay, I think I'm good to go," Arthur said after a moment, hoping that this position would still be comfortable in a couple of hours. There was no way to tell, but none of his muscles felt particularly strained or uncomfortable. Still, he would only know after some time had passed.

Merlin nodded his head, ignoring just how inviting that pose was and he started painting. Once he started painting, it was easier to ignore the feelings he was having towards Arthur and just paint, giving everything into his work to make sure that it turned out perfect. "You know I can't pay you for this, right?" He asked, though there was a slight teasing tone to his voice. His eyes flitted over to Arthur every few seconds, capturing exactly how he looked in his memory to do the next part of the painting. He didn't let his eyes linger on Arthur too often so that he could carry on with the painting and he found that that way, his painting was progressing quicker than it usually did. Of course, it still took ages to get it looking realistic, as was his style, but Arthur stayed pretty still throughout it all so Merlin had almost the exact same lighting all the way through.

"This is good practice for both of us," Arthur chuckled, trying not to move too much as he did. It was kind of relaxing to just let his mind wander off. He didn't feel judged or on display, even though both of those things were pretty much happening. Merlin wasn't staring at him in a way that made Arthur uncomfortable. He did his best to stay still, and though he couldn't be sure, Arthur felt like he was doing a decently good job. The room fell silent as Merlin continued to paint and Arthur let his thoughts run away with him. He had thought that it might be boring and he was glad that he wasn't bored out of his skull. It could be worse. "How's it coming?" Arthur asked after it felt like a lot of time had passed.

"Uh, I'm close to finishing." Merlin answered, eyes flickering over to Arthur again. "It won't be long now, I promise. Quarter of an hour at the most." He had put a whole lot of detail into the drawing and it had been a few hours since he started. He was so glad that Morgana hadn't come in to ask if he would paint their nails because he really wanted to get this done and he was sure that Arthur wouldn't be able to stay still for the entire time that Merlin was gone, with nothing to do at all. After the promised fifteen minutes, he pulled back to look at the painting and he bit his lip softly. "I'm done. You can... come and see how it looks if you want." he said, his eyes scanning over the painting. If he looked at it any longer, he knew he'd probably end up hating it but for now, he really liked it.

As soon as Merlin said he was done, Arthur was up and out of the chair. The pose had been comfortable for the most part, but after so long, the strain of sitting still had started to wear on him. Arthur stretched himself out, reaching his hands high up over his head and then doing the opposite and reaching down to touch his toes. "That was a bit harder than I'd imagined," he said honestly, "But not nearly as boring." He stretched a little more, shaking out his arms and legs a bit, before walking over to see what Merlin had painted. He was astonished. "My god," he exclaimed, "That's incredible." He leaned over Merlin's shoulder just like he had earlier so that he could get a closer look at it. The damn thing was almost like a photograph. "This is truly amazing, Merlin," he said honestly, turning his head to give the boy a smile.

Merlin blushed darkly at the compliments and a wide smile came onto his lips. "You really think so?" He asked, turning his head to look at Arthur and realising how close they were. It was enough for the blush to stay sustained on his cheeks. He couldn't help but be thrilled with Arthur's compliments because he had worked hard on it, had worked hard on all of his art to get good up to this point. There were, of course, a few places that he could see he could improve but he didn't have the right resources for it and he was sure that he would end up messing up the painting if he tried to fix it at all. That had happened before and he hadn't been pleased with it whatsoever. Arthur leaning over him now was even worse when he was half dressed though and Merlin didn't know how he was going to deal with it for much longer.

"Yeah, I do," Arthur confirmed with a nod of his head, turning back to look over the painting again, "It really is incredible." He turned back to look at Merlin, and it struck him just how close they were. He hadn't really noticed it earlier, but it was something that he noticed now. There was a blush staining Merlin's cheeks and his plush lips were spread into a wide smile. Arthur never had any issues with taking what he wanted, within reason of course. He was a man of actions, and he would rather do something first and ask questions later. This philosophy applied to almost everything in his life, and this situation was no different. After looking at Merlin for a moment, eyes flicking over his features, Arthur leaned in and pressed their lips together. He was taking a chance, but he would rather take it then spend time wondering what would have happened if he took it.

Merlin let out a soft gasp against Arthur's lips but his eyes fell shut quickly and he kissed back. He didn't want to waste this moment and he would never have been courageous enough to kiss Arthur first, even though he had desperately wanted to do it. It was perfect as well. The angle was a little bit awkward, but he shifted in his seat and it was a lot better then. Arthur's lips were warm beneath his own and Merlin felt all the butterflies and sparks and fireworks that he had always been told came with first kisses. He definitely hadn't expected this to happen when he came into Morgana's house today. In fact, he hadn't expected to see Arthur at all, which he supposed was a bit stupid considering it was Arthur's house. He had thought that he would paint here until he was needed though, and come back to it after he was done. He hadn't foreseen a kiss anywhere there.

Arthur was happy when Merlin kissed him back instead of pushing him away. That was a good sign at least. He kept the kiss simple at first, but pretty quickly, his back started to hurt from being hunched over the way he was. In Arthur's mind, the solution was simple. He sat in Merlin's lap without breaking the kiss, straddling his thighs, arms draped over his shoulders. He tilted his head to the side a bit, parting his lips and deepening the kiss. Merlin's lips were warm and soft and full and they felt incredible against his own lips. One hand slid up and tangled in Merlin's messy hair, and it wasn't as coarse as Arthur would have imagined. It was actually rather smooth, though it was thick. He pushed his tongue into Merlin's mouth, wanting to taste him.

Merlin jumped a little when Arthur sat down on his lap and he couldn't help it, really. This sort of thing never ever happened to him and he was wondering when that rule had changed because this was definitely happening right now. He could feel Arthur's firm fingers in his hair and Arthur's weight on his lap and Arthur's lips, so good against his own. He parted his lips beneath Arthur's and let out a soft moan, his hands moving now from where they had been resting at his sides. They moved onto Arthur's chest and he couldn't actually believe that he was feeling Arthur Pendragon's bare chest against his hands. It was like a dream that he never wanted to wake up from.

Arthur smiled a bit into the kiss when Merlin finally reached out to touch him. He had been wondering if Merlin was going to work up the courage to do it or not. The kiss was definitely getting a bit more heated as they went. Merlin's glasses were kind of poking against Arthur's cheek, but he sort of liked it. It was a tiny reminder of exactly who he was kissing. His second hand joined his first in Merlin's hair, taking a healthy handful and keeping the other boy's head in place as they kissed. He didn't know why he felt like Merlin would pull away, but he just wanted to try and make this last. It was one of the best kisses he'd ever had.

Merlin both couldn't believe that this was happening and couldn't believe that anything else was happening at the same time. He was hyper aware of this and he didn't want it to end any time soon. He had Arthur pressed right up against him and it was so unbelievably real. Arthur's skin was warm and solid beneath his hands, even as they slid down to Arthur's stomach while he was preoccupied with the kiss. He didn't want to pull away on the fear that it wouldn't happen again after this and he definitely wanted to make this kiss last if it wasn't going to happen again. Of course, if it did happen again then it would be absolutely perfect. He leant into the kiss when Arthur's other hand slid into his hair and another soft noise slid through his lips, Arthur's hands in his hair doing things to him.

Arthur pulled on Merlin's hair a little. Not hard enough to hurt, but firmly enough that the other boy would feel it. He had a feeling that Merlin would enjoy the sensation. Arthur arched towards Merlin's hands, trying to get him to touch him more. He wanted to feel his warm hands sliding over his skin. A small part of him wondered what this was. They hadn't exactly had any extended conversation before, but Arthur had liked the time he spent with Merlin, even if it had been mostly silent. He felt comfortable in the other boy's presence. Maybe they didn't have to label it, maybe it would end up being a casual thing. All Arthur knew was that he hoped it would happen again some time.

An actual moan slid from Merlin's lips as Arthur pulled on his hair and his hands moved over Arthur's body without him thinking about it, sliding over his chest and his shoulders and his arms and everywhere that he could physically touch. Arthur's body was truly amazing and he just wanted to keep feeling it the entire time. He couldn't help but feel his trousers getting tighter and he had no idea what the hell he was going to do about it, or if they were going to end up doing something about it together. He hoped so. Will would never believe that he had his first kiss and his first time in one day but Merlin wanted it, wanted Arthur more than anything.  
Arthur smiled at the moan, unable to help himself. He'd been right about the hair pulling. He got back into the rhythm of the kiss, having screwed it up when he smiled. He could feel a little something happening in Merlin's lap, and he knew that he was headed towards a similar situation because of the way Merlin was practically worshiping his body. Arthur pulled on Merlin's hair again, making sure not to hurt him but using enough force to tip Merlin's head back. Arthur's lips attached to a pale neck, kissing and sucking at the skin as he began to roll his hips on Merlin's lap.

Merlin was panting already and his eyes fluttered as Arthur pulled his head back. Then Arthur's lips were on Merlin's neck and he felt like he was about to explode. He arched his back to press into Arthur's chest and he moaned again, unable to help himself. It didn't help that Arthur was rolling his hips down and it was making Merlin feel like he was about to explode there and then. His hands travelled around to Arthur's back and his fingertips dug into it as he felt Arthur sucking at the skin of his neck. He had never had even the slightest experience in anything like this and to have it all at once was so overwhelming, but amazing at the same time.  
Arthur was intent on leaving the darkest hickey that he could possibly manage. He liked leaving marks, even if he was the only one that knew it was his mark. He continued to roll his hips, grinding down firmly against Merlin. He could clearly feel the other boy's erection now, and his own was rather obvious as well. He continued to pull lightly at Merlin's hair, sort of messing with it more than anything else. Arthur found himself wondering idly how much experience Merlin had. He certainly wasn't telling Arthur to stop. Arthur moaned against Merlin's skin when he felt nails dig into his back.

Merlin felt like his head was actually about to burst off neck with the way that Arthur was sucking at his neck and he wasn't sure that he was going to last much longer at all, which he would find pretty embarrassing if he wasn't so worked up right now. One of his hands stayed pressed, digging into Arthur's back while the other moved to Arthur's thigh. He was so unbelievably hard right now that it was on the verge of painful in his jeans. He knew that if he came in his jeans like this, it would take ages to get it out and he would have to get it out before Morgana came up here to get him. He didn't really think much of it though because this was just so perfect.

Arthur kept going, keeping a firm and steady pace. He pushed his thigh up a little into Merlin's hand, encouraging the touch and encouraging more. Finally, he was satisfied with the bright red mark that would soon become a dark purple bruise. Arthur pulled Merlin's head back up and sealed their lips together again, kissing him roughly and deeply as he rocked his hips. Now it was sort of like a little challenge, to see if he could get Merlin to finish off just from this. He could always loan Merlin a pair of pants or whatever he needed, though he didn't know how the other boy was going to hide that hickey.

Merlin's hand curled around Arthur's thigh tighter and he tentatively rocked up against him, biting down on his lip until Arthur was suddenly kissing him again. He kissed back, his eyes falling shut again and he moaned against Arthur's lips, unable to keep himself quiet for even a minute. It wasn't going to be long at all until he was coming and he didn't even care. His hands moved back up to Arthur's back as he got closer and his nails scraped down Arthur's back as he came and he cried out Arthur's name. He couldn't keep himself quiet at all, all moans and cries that had to break the kiss.

Arthur kissed along Merlin's jaw, rocking lightly as he rode out his orgasm. One thing he could say was that Merlin coming was possibly one of the most gorgeous things that Arthur had ever seen in his life. The sounds, his face, the way he clung to Arthur so desperately. He reached into his own underwear and grabbed his cock, jacking himself off fast and rough until he was coming as well, pressing his forehead against Merlin's shoulder as he cried out. Panting, Arthur wiped his hand on his soiled briefs. "There's a back staircase through the kitchen," he murmured softly, still trying to catch his breath, "We can get up to my room and clean off without anyone seeing us. I'll loan you something."

"Thank you..." Merlin breathed, nodding his head slowly and gasping out for breath. He didn't want to move for a while but he knew that there was a chance for Morgana to walk through that door at any time and see them together like this. There would be no way of denying it then, not that he really wanted to deny it. He desperately wanted to scream from the rooftops that this had happened, that he had actually had his first sexual experience with Arthur Pendragon of all people. He didn't know if Arthur wanted this to get out though or if he would want to keep it a secret from everybody. What was this anyway? Was it just sex? Merlin hoped not.

Arthur stood up and went over to grab the rest of his clothes. Then he grabbed Merlin's hand and started leading him through the large house. They made it through unscathed and Arthur shut the door to his room. He peeled off his sticky underwear and quickly rubbed a towel over himself before going to his dresser and pulling on a fresh pair. He tossed the towel to Merlin to use as well. "Just borrow whatever you'd like," Arthur said, gesturing to the dresser as he pulled on the rest of his clothes. As soon as he was done, he flopped down on the bed. He was kind of spent and ready for a little nap.

Merlin nodded and made his way over to Arthur's dresser to get out a fresh pair of boxers. He changed into them after quickly wiping himself down and he glanced over his shoulder at Arthur. It was strange to him that the only thing his mind was focusing on right now was how Arthur's hand had felt in his own as Arthur had led him up the stairs. He pulled his jeans back on over the boxers, since they were clean enough and he glanced over at Arthur again. "I'd... better get back to the studio before Morgana arrives and notices that I'm not there." He said, though he really did not want to leave Arthur at all.

"What, did she exile you in there?" Arthur snorted, waving a hand dismissively, "She can't expect you to sit around and wait forever. She can come and find you when she needs you." He wasn't sure why he didn't want Merlin to leave just yet. Arthur could be a little bit cuddly after an orgasm, so it was possible that had something to do with it. "I don't know about you, but I like a nap after an orgasm," he commented with a soft sigh, getting comfortable on his bed, "Come lay down with me." He didn't mean for it to sound like a statement instead of a request, but he hoped that Merlin would.

Merlin couldn't help his lips twitching up slightly and he made his way over to lay down next to Arthur. "What if she comes and find me here?" He asked, though he just wanted to see if Arthur cared about anybody knowing what they had done. He wouldn't be able to hide the hickey on his neck anyway, no matter what and it wasn't that hard of a stretch to come to the conclusion that Arthur had been the one to do it. Especially if she went into the studio first and saw Merlin's painting. It was pretty revealing. Morgana would know then that Merlin had painted Arthur almost naked and then if she saw the hickey, there was no way they could explain their way out of it.

Arthur shrugged, his brain not functioning enough to find an answer and not really caring enough to try and find him. When Merlin laid down, Arthur gave him a moment to get comfortable before wrapping his arms around the other boy's waist and pulling him in. He was just sleepy and he wanted to sleep. He snuggled in and got situated before closing his eyes and letting sleep come to him. He could worry about Morgana and how he and Merlin were going to proceed later. It wasn't something he felt a need to be overly concerned about right at that moment.

Merlin felt like his body was going to burst into flames when Arthur pulled him in closer, but he took off his glasses, placed them on the night stand and curled up to Arthur's chest anyway. It was extremely warm and comfortable and it wasn't long until he was drifting off as well. If Arthur didn't care about Morgana finding them like this, then he didn't either. He felt a little bit bad that he came here to do her and her friends' nails but this was just too tempting to pass up. There was no way that he was ever going to be able to walk out that door by his own free will. He fell asleep, warm and comfortable in Arthur's arms, without a care in the world.


End file.
